


An Apprentice and A Doctor Walk Into A Bar...~

by madllamamomma



Category: The Arcana (Visual Novel)
Genre: Adult Content, Anal Sex, Angst and Feels, Angst and Humor, Consensual Sex, Cute, Drama & Romance, F/M, Fluff and Smut, Funny, Gen, Idiots in Love, Love, Love Confessions, M/M, NSFW, Oral Sex, Romance, Sex, Smut, Some angst, Sweet, Yaoi, relationships, silly love, understanding when to let go
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-15
Updated: 2020-11-18
Packaged: 2021-03-10 02:06:46
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 13,231
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27566467
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/madllamamomma/pseuds/madllamamomma
Summary: This is the same night during the story during Lightweight~ [Muriel x Rhemi (My oc/apprentice)], but the POV from Asra when he takes the intoxicated doctor back to his home where things go a little... well... unexpectedly...**NSFW, SMUTThis was requested via asks on Tumblr awhile back. I finally got the chance to share =)
Relationships: Apprentice/Muriel (The Arcana), Asra/Julian Devorak
Comments: 4
Kudos: 27





	1. Fire and Gunpowder~

**Author's Note:**

> The beginning may be a little strange, but it pulls insight into some of Asra’s problems.

**_Part 1~_ **

It was a soggy wet afternoon. Plague doctors in white cloaks litter the streets, all wearing those disturbing bird-like masks that lack emotion or empathy. It’s been a few weeks since Rhemi’s aunt, Athena’s death from the red plague. Rhemi took it so hard—Athena was her only family that she had left in this world, and she wasn’t even blood. Her and Asra took a trip abroad to Nopal just a few weeks before just to get away from all the chaos that was happening. But once they had returned, they only found a letter and a crimson red scarf hanging from the doorknob of the shop. They both knew that she was helping the cause, but nothing could prepare them for this. Athena was always so strong, so careful. But apparently not careful enough….

Following Athena’s passing, Rhemi was left with her shop and her necklace; a strange lime green one. It was a rather large gemstone, one would expect it to be much heavier, too heavy to wear. Yet it felt lite on the string it hung from and it had some type of magical property to it that was still unknown to either of them. When Rhemi started to wear it, it gave her some kind of comfort. A kind that Asra knew he couldn’t give her.

The dead are starting to pile up more and more each day. More people are being taken to Lazareth to become cremated for the lack of available proper burial places… Some are even being taken before they even expire. Tomorrow is the day that Rhemi said she's going to sign up to become an apprentice to one of the plague doctors that Athena worked with. That was one of the few things that Athena asked in her letter for the two to do…. To help put a stop to this. Athena felt like she and the person she was working with were so close to figuring it out and left all her notes. His name was _Something…_ Devorak?... Asra had a hard time remembering. Too many other things on his mind.

Tonight, Asra does his best to keep to the backstreets with this scarf tucked tightly over his mouth staying far away from people as possible. Finally he approaches the door of the shop. He takes in a deep exhale, feeling a deep pit in his stomach. She’s going to take a lot of convincing…. But this is for the good of both of us… She’ll thank me for it later… Finally, he reaches for his key and unlocks the door. As he enters the shop, he can hear Rhemi bustling around the small kitchenette. “Rem, I’m back!” He calls out to make sure he doesn’t stir her.

“Back here, Asra~” She sings in response. She always likes to sing. Sometimes even in languages that he didn’t recognize, but they always sounded so pretty to him. She wasn’t like a professional or anything, but her voice was comforting and beautiful. He can help but crack a small smile hearing her as he doffs his coat, hat, scarf and bag then drapes it over his left forearm as he enters the reading room where she is.

She undoes her hair that was in a tight small bun on the top of her head and she shakes it out and it falls to her shoulders. “Hey.” She greets with a grin, quickly glancing over to him, she seems to be doing a lot better today… But her eyes are still puffy and tired looking.

“Hey.” Asra mutters with a soft smile.

“I brewed your favorite. Com’on sit down—take a load off. How was the market?”

 _“Bird faces!!”_ Faust utters slinking out of Asra’s shirt and wraps around his neck.

He snorts his familiar’s words and strokes her head with his first two fingers. “Yeah… Not many people out, just a lot of plague doctors.”

“...Yeah—well, that will be us soon too.” She shrugs still with a half fake smile. 

“Rhemi.... I need to tell you something.”

“Oh…. okay. Well we can talk while having some tea and cakes. I got the strawberry ones we like.”

Asra draws in a deep breath and drapes his things over a nearby chair. “... Rem….. I’m…… I’m leaving.”

Rhemi’s cheery grin falls and she’s completely frozen by his statement. She doesn't seem to be sure if she heard him correctly. “Wh-.... what?” She utters and she finally places the hot kettle down into the small doily to make sure it doesn’t singe the nice table cloth. “.... You’re….. you’re leaving?”

Asra has such a hard time forcing these words out, but he knows that she needs to know. “... Rhemi… it's not safe here anymore.” She plops into a seat on the wooden chair, dropping her gaze and staring at the wooden floorboards, her lips tightly pressed together lost in thought. Feeling his stomach drop at her reactions, he takes a few steps closer and stands in front of her, then pulls up a chair. “.... The red plague is spreading… more and more people are dying every single day… We’ve already lost Ath—…..” His words die in his throat as pain washes over her face. The death of her aunt still weighs hard on her. He exhales hard through his nose before continuing. “..... We’ve lost too much as it is….”

“....When?” She asks with a shake voice still refusing to look him in the eye.

“Tomorrow morning…. at daybreak…. I’m boarding a ship….”

“..... And……. w-where will you be going?..”

“I… I don’t really know…. Somewhere over seas…” Gently he places his hand on top of hers on the reading table, but she keeps her eyes averted away.

“Are….. Are you planning on coming back?.....” She tightens her fist under his palm slowly clenching tighter fearing the answer.

He huffs a heartfelt sigh and shrugs. “One day….”

_“....When?”_

He swallows the lung forming in his throat and inhales deeply and he sinks a little more into his chair. “I… I don’t know…. Once all of this gets better.” Silence takes over for a moment as Rhemi watches the single candle flicker away on the table and the wax drips from its side. Asra tilts his head into her view attempting to look into her ruby eyes. “I… I want you to come with me… maybe we can start again somewhere safe… away from all of…. this….”

Her gaze finally meets his, she looks rather perplexed at this. “...You want me to …… to go… _overseas?_ …. And you want me to run away too?”

Asra grips his hand a little tighter. “It’s not ‘running’.... we’ll come back….” Muriel's face flashes in his mind and he slightly presses his lips together. “...I have….. obligations here as well. It won’t be for forever.”

She just rolls her eyes, averting away again and she sneers a little. “But you are still asking me to run away.”

“.... It’s not running, Rem…..” He then thinks that over, then lazily shrugs his shoulders. “.... Okay... maybe it is, but I’d rather we run from this to see another day than hope for the best.”

Her brow starts to furrow slightly. “Asra… I…. I made a promise…. besides…. Vesuvia is… here is where I belong. This is my home—its yours too… this shop is the only thing I have left.”

“I don’t think Athena would have known it would get this bad. There are people getting sick every—”

“—It’s an _epidemic._ She knew the risks, Asra…. She still didn’t run when it got grim… She stayed and helped people in need. That's what she always did… She always fought back.”

“..... Just because she was foolish enough to get in the line of danger doesn’t mean you should stay—”

Rhemi jerks her hand away, standing up from her chair as anger washing over her face and glances down at him. “—I… made…. a promise… she asked in her will that would help anyway I could. Carry on her work. _You_ also made that promise to me!”

Asra stands to his feet as well. “T-that was before it spread—”

“—I’m not leaving, Asra. I will not run away...”

Asra’s shoulders hike up. “.... Why do you have to be… so damn stubborn?? I am trying to save our lives!”

“Yeah! And leave everyone else here in this city to die? I don’t think so! I’m not gonna turn heals and run away from home!” She darts her eyes back to the table cloth, a dark thought seemingly crossing her mind. “....Never again….” She mutters under her breath.

Asra isn’t sure what she meant by that, but he shakes his head and throws up his hands. “What can we do, Rem?? We aren't real doctors!! Plague doctors are just hacks with leeches! And we are just….. magicians! You know our magic is ineffective to diseases, and tarot cards are of little help when it comes to an epidemic!!”

“So what?? Athena was just a magician! But she tried and helped anyway she could!!”

“—You’re forgetting that Athena was also a _scholar!_ She…. she knew more than us!!! She probably studied dozens of medical textbooks before we were even born! Hell, she probably wrote a few of them!”

“And what the hell do you think she was teaching us all these years???”

“Rhemi, you're missing the point—”

“—No, Asra!!! YOU are!” She slabs her fist onto the table, making the tea cups chatter and clank against the ceramic saucers. Her chest puffs out and she stands tall as she possibly can, nostrils slightly flared, she’s pissed off now. “I told you….. I am not leaving. This is my home. I am going to stay here and help, like I promised Athena. I refuse to get on some damn ship to cross that godforfuckingsaken sea ever again!!!!” Her body starts to tremble in rage and her magic starts to swirl all around her. Why is she so afraid of going overseas?

Despite how intimidating Rhemi can be when she gets like this, Asra isn’t afraid of her in the slightest and he begins to feel very frustrated with her, he hates it when she gets like this. “Well, I’m not going to just sit here and let us both die a horrible, painful, death!”

She folds her arms tightly, her brow furrowed tightly down. “Fine, then _. Leave!_ I see if I care!!!”

Asra sighs irritatedly and his shoulders drop and he shakes his head trying to calm himself. “Rhemi, you're just angry—You don’t mean that! You’re—you’re not thinking clearly!”

Suddenly her eyes are filled with almost hate and she sticks her pointer finger firmly into his sternum and he backs up out of instinct. “—Don’t you fucking dare tell me that I don’t know what I mean, Asra!..... No one… and I mean _NO ONE_ will tell me what to do ever or how I should think every again!!! I can think for myself!! I’m not some fucking sheep!”

“You’re being irrational!!!”

“You’re being selfish!!”

“Goddamn it!!! You never will change will you, Rhemi? You’ve been this bullheaded! Even since we were little children!! Yet you're still incapable of acting like a real adult!!”

“I....I— I DON’T FUCKING NEED THIS!!! I DON’T NEED YOU!!! I DON’T FUCKING NEED ANYBODY!! GO ON!! LEAVE! I’LL BE JUST FINE ON MY OWN HERE!!”

Asra’s blood starts to boil as his heart stings from that piercing blow. “.... You…. stubborn…. little…… F-......FINE!!! —You know what?! I don’t freakin’ need you either!! Go on and see if I give a crap about what happens to your stubborn ass!!!!—— Stay here all alone in this, dusty, dinky, little shit-hole of a shop!! You can become the angry, miserable, lonely witch you were just destined to be!!!—THEN YOU CAN DIE ALL ALONE BY YOURSELF!!! JUST LIKE AUNT ATHENA DID!!!—” Rhemi shudders, her face looks like she just was struck right across the face. Immediately, Asra clasps his mouth with his hands, he can’t believe he had just said that to her.

Faust slinks herself back into his jacket and starts to shiver. _“...Mean, Asra….”_ she very sadly hisses to him knowing all too well he didn’t mean one bit of that.

He opens and closes his mouth a few times as he watches Rhemi’s face wash over with various emotions, her bottom lip trembling, looking incredibly hurt by what he said. “R-...Rem… I-…… I-I-I didn’t—”

“—Get out of my shop you fucking bastard.....” She mumbles from underneath her hair where she hides her face.

Asra gently reaches out with one hand for her shoulder. “Rh-... Rhemi—I—”

He can hear as she grinds her teeth and glares back up to him, her face filled with rage as she smacks his wrist away. “I…. said….” She starts to speak as large tears form in her furious burgundy eyes as she grabs him by his vest and drags him to the back door. She kicks it open and throws him out with all her might. She may be small, but she has enough strength to force him out. “.....GET….. OUT…. OF... _MY…_. SHOP!!!!” She yells, making a few stray cats hiss and run from the alley.

Asra catches himself by the nearby building, nearly tripping on a cobblestone. He spins himself around and opens his mouth to say something but is cut off by him suddenly having his hat and bag thrown on the ground. Her face is blood red with anger and she is trying to choke down her tears in front of him. “Go on, leave!! Everyone else in my life has left me! And—And I have been just fine! What’s one more person??—I will not leave these people to die! I may be an angry miserable lonely witch, Asra….. But I am at least not a fucking coward like you!”

“Is wanting you to stay alive really cowardice? You have no idea how ridiculous you are being!!!”

“—Good bye, Asra...”

“Rhemi!!” Asra reaches out his hand.

”Just…… FUCKING LEAVE ALREADY!!!!” She screams, slabbing the door in his face.

The alleyway is now so dark… Asra is overcome with such anger at Rhemi’s brash reactions. She can be so inflexible and stupid sometimes. Asra tucks his scarf around his mouth tightly to protect himself and snaches his hat and bag from off of the ground. Quickly he conjures his magic pulling off all the dirt and mud, then places his hat on his head and drapes his bag over his chest about to stomp down the street. However, first he stands there at the back door for a moment, just hoping that she’d change her mind. Perhaps she’ll open the door and they can talk about it just a bit more…. maybe she’ll consider leaving…. But the wooden door doesn't budge one bit. Asra’s fists tremble and he finally starts to head out of the alley and uses the backroad to head to the forest to tell Muriel goodbye, hiding his tears behind his scarf.

Faust sticks her head out of his shirt and affectionately slithers over to Asra’s neck and chest. _“Friend… where??”_ She softy hisses.

Asra swallows the lump in his throat. “.... She’s…. she’s not coming, Faust….”

She gently flicks her fork tongue rubbing her little head on his right cheek. “Asra….... Sad?”

Asra sluggishly comes to a halt as he enters the outskirts of the forest. His brow now softening. His shoulder starts to quake, but not from anger…. He nearly chokes on his words. “Y-..….. Ye-… yes, Faust.…. I’m….. I am…. sad—I-I’m…. I’m very sad…. and.. and…*sigh*.... I don’t know….”

She then very gently squeezes his chest and quietly hisses sweetly. “...To tall friend?”

He sniffles and hastily wipes away the tears from his eyes and starts to move his legs again. “Yes… We’re going to see our tall friend… We’re going to say goodbye...” 

**_—————Four years later… a few months after the Muriel and Rhemi defeat of the devil.——Deep within the realm of dreams———_ **

The atmosphere is misty and gray. It feels heavy and cold blanket of fog making Asra shiver even as he tightly folds his arms to keep warm as he continuously walks on the wooden dock. He can’t see anything around him, no water, no ships, not even a horizon, just an endless narrow wooden dock in front of him. There isn’t a soul around, well… except for the one he’s trying to catch up with ahead. He can barely see their brownish-red hair in the mist. They seem to be walking at a casual pace, but every step Asra takes, no matter his speed, they never get any closer. _How far does this thing even go?_ This is very strange, but he keeps following, but his heart drops more and more as he sees them just getting further and further away...

“Asra-dear?” Julian’s voice suddenly calls out from behind him. “Ahoy!”

Asra stops dead in his tracks and whips his head around, but doesn’t see the doctor anywhere. He turns around in circles, still looking for him. “Ilya?” He mutters back in the gray fog, squinting his eyes to try and see.

Light illuminates from the mist on his left and it sluggishly drifts by and he can even hear the creaking of mass of wood. It’s a ship. Julian’s face pops out from the mist as he hangs out from the shrouds, his loose white linen shirt blowing and hair blowing in the wind. He looks so handsome with his fiery red hair and toothy smile. Asra can’t help but smile a little back and shake his head to himself. He looks very in his element, and he’d be lying if he didn’t find it attractive. Julian then reaches out his arm for him. “Care to come and join me aboard?” He says very sweetly, peering down, looking so sincerely at him.

Asra flutters his eyes, glancing from his outstretched hand to hand to his face unsure if he should take it. Quickly he looks forward to the endless dock. Rhemi. Her silhouette is now so far in the distance, she starts to disappear in the gray. He’s been chasing her for so long…. But can never seem to keep up. As he looks back towards the ship and Julian’s outstretched hand, it starts to pick up speed. Asra then starts to sprint alongside it, not wanting it to get away from him. “Hurry! Grab my hand, Asra!” Julian calls out reaching even further, bending his body further down.

Asra starts to reach his hand out for his, but retracts it at the last second, feeling so conflicted. “But… I— W-What about _her_?? She’ll be all alone!!” He shouts out terrified and unsure what to do.

“But she isn’t, my dear.” Julian mutters sadly as he gets further and further away from reach from the white haired magician. “She hasn’t been for a while now….”

Asra glances forwards again as he is still running as fast as he can down the dock, surprised to see another silhouette joining Rhemi up ahead. It’s very tall and broad, it looks so familiar. It takes her small hand in his as they keep walking forwards, she even leans her head into their large muscular arm. _Muriel…_

As Asra looks again for the ship, it starts to disappear back into the mist. “No…. NO!! Wait!!!” Asra’s shoe somehow gets caught into one of the loose boards and he falls over flat on his stomach.

Julian’s bright and happy smile falls into a deeply sad disappointed expression as he too disappears into the thick mist, slowly drawing his arm back to the shrouds. “I’m afraid…. you waited too long…. I’m sorry…. but ships have to keep sailing, my dear Asra… They can’t always keep waiting around forever...”

_No…. wait…. Wait!!!... Please don’t go… Please don’t leave, Ilya!... I… I love—_

-—-—-

Asra’s eyes fly open and he shudders. He finds himself staring up at the plaster roof of the small cottage in Nopal. He shakes his head and rubs his tired face. Why did I have to dream about that?…He finally gets out of the bed and looks out the small window of the cottage, it's dawn. The strange red-headed doctor now hard on his mind after that dream.

Faust slithers up his arm and cutely rests her head on his shoulder. _“Bad dream?”_

“I guess you can say that….” He answers, rubbing his face a little, lazily leaning against the windowsill.

Julian is setting out to embark on the high seas soon. He’s been anticipating this journey for nearly a month after saving enough money from the clinic he opened down the street from Rhemi and Asra’s shop. Asra and him had quite an interesting few months while Rhemi the apprentice and Muriel were traveling down to the south to hunt down Lucio. Despite Asra’s initial reluctance to work with Ilya again, he seemed to have grown rather fond of the doctor’s strange charm; he had forgotten over the years.

Asra left the city before Julian would embark on his voyage. The thought of him leaving for a few months, maybe even a year was too much for him to bear. He tried to leave thinking that his head just wasn’t right. But there was a nagging pit in his stomach he just couldn’t get rid of. Leaving like that was he feared may be one of the worst decisions he felt he has even made. Just like the one when he left Rhemi during the plague. As he watches the sun rise, reaches up and Fasut coils around his hand so he can look at her. “.... Maybe…. It’s not too late….” he mutters to her and she flicks her fork tongue affectionately tickling his face and he smiles a little. He just wants to see the doctor's face. Just one more time before he goes.

Hasilty, Asra packs up his things and takes the long journey back to Vesuvia. He gets back home to the shop and is surprised to find it empty. Usually Rhemi is making dinner by now with Muriel, but there isn’t a soul in site. As he approaches the glass counter, he notices a note addressed to him. Hmmmm…. Weird. He lazily drapes his bag over the counter and picks up the note reading;

_Dear Asra,_

_In case you have forgotten, our Ilya is setting sail tomorrow. He came back and was apparently lonely, so I decided to take him out for a drink. Muriel didn’t want to come—you know how he is. So if you happen to come home tonight, you should head to the Rowdy Raven with Julian, Portia, and I to properly send him off!_

_—Rhemi ❤️_

After reading the slightly passive aggressive note, Asra got a very bad feeling in his stomach. Rhemi and Julian were like fire and gunpowder. Separate they were fine, somewhat containable. But together?? _—KABOOM!_ ….A perfect recipe for disaster. Swiftly, without even checking on the Rowdy Raven Asra dashes to Muriel’s hut and drags him out to the tavern leaving Faust to rest at the shop.

——————————

Reluctantly, Muriel follows Asra out of the forest towards town only with his scarf and traveling cloak on his chest. “...This even necessary?... I—I don’t want Rhemi to think I don’t trust her…” Muriel grumbles as he trails behind a very fast walking Asra. 

Asra turns his neck slightly so he can hear him. “It’s not that Rhemi shouldn’t be trusted….it’s the Rhemi and Ilya part you shouldn’t trust.”

Muriel scoffs. “....Rem can take care of herself. She’s not as helpless as she looks.”

“I know that, but you’ve seen how Ilya easily ruffles her feathers—”

Muriel scoffs a little. “...So?”

“Okay… So now add alcohol to that.”

Muriel thinks about that for a moment, feeling his eyes widen and his face turning a bit white. He coughs then begins to walk just as fast as Asra. “.....M-maybe not a bad idea to check on them… I guess.” His sudden rapid pace makes Asra chuckle a bit. He’s got it bad for that girl…

The two of them can already hear glass shattering and people yelling on the inside. Mostly Julian’s….

 _“....Ssssshhhhhhiit...._ ” They both utter in unison. Warily, Asra opens the door to the tavern.

The tavern is in utter chaos. Portia is nearly screaming at Julian who is entangled in the rafters. Quite a few tables and chairs are broken, and shattered bottles litter the floor, some still with liquor in it and the other drunken pedestrians are shaking their fists at the doctor. Muriel and Asra just stand there at the door, taking a moment to digest the scene.

“ _Ilya!_ GET YOUR STUPID DRUNK ASS OFF THE CEILING!!! Gods!! Com’on! You are embarrassing me!!!” Portia barks at her brother.

Julian just continues to swing from the rafters loudly and terribly singing off key, hiccuping every other line. _“—OOOOO, My dear fair lass,_ *hiccup* _oh why do you leave me on the shores? Don’t you know my heart is broken?_ *hiccup* _Fffffffollow me on the waves of the open seas! In exchange I will give ye a sweet—_ *BURP* _—token!! OOO! HOOOO!!!—_ *hiccup* oooooooooo..... _”_

Portia growls angrily up at him, hands on her hips, shaking her head. Asra and Muriel make their way over to Portia and blankly stares at the drunken doctor swinging upside down. She’s startled a little until she realizes who they are. “Oh! Asra!” She glances up. “—And _Muriel_! Good to see you! Rhemi told us you weren’t coming!”

“..I was planning on that....” He mumbles with a small sneer.

The three of them just keep staring up at Julian who is still carrying on, singing and swinging. Asra pitches the bridge of his nose, “What…. What the hell happened here?”

Portia sighs deeply again. “So, according to the bartender: Julian called Rhemi a lightweight, she got mad—things got heated—blah, blah, blah—she challenged him to a drinking competition and now we are here.” Muriel has no idea with that answer, he just groans to himself and scratches his head furrowing his brow.

“And now…. your brother is on the ceiling?!” Asra inquires, but she just shrugs, unable to really answer that question. “Portia, why didn’t you stop them?”

She flutters her eyes at him giving him a pointed look, then shakes her head slightly. “First off, I just got here. Those two rudely started without me. Secondly, have you met those two, Asra?”

Asra opens his mouth, about to argue, then he shuts it, nodding to himself, scratching behind his head. “....Point taken.”

Muriel sheepishly looks down to Portia. “Where’s Rhemi?”

She frowns and shrugs her shoulders again. “Like I said, I just got here.” She turns her head left and right, and starts to look all around. “...But she's bound to be around here somewhere though!”

Julian just continues to swing back and forwarth, trying to drown his troubles, but still didn’t feel any less lonely. A very muscular pair of long arms suddenly rips him down and slings him over their large shoulder. “—Hey!! Keep your paws off of me you damn dirty—“ Julian glances his eye up to a tall scowling familiar figure’s face. “Oh!! Muriel! Hello my. _..errrrr_ …. tall _*belch_ *—f-fellow!!” Muriel winces as he burps in his face then continues to just glare at him irritatedly. “How is—how’s it going?! Rhemi-Dear said you weren’t—were… _ahhh,_ n-n-not coming!”

“Ilya… Where’s Rhemi?” Muriel finally asks.

Julian sputters. “You don’t know?! You—you really shouldn’t lose your lady like that! That’s not good! Very… _.errr…_. un-gentleman like!!”

“.....W-what?!” Muriel’s brow narrows, “—She was with you, ya’ fucking idiot!!!” He snaps quickly back at him.

Julian waves his hand dismissing Muriel. “ _—Pfft!!!_ Noooo, we’re not together! I know she’s taken!.. I mean—Don’t get me wrong! She’s cute…. and… and ...ha-ha.. curvy, but… _*belch*_ ….N-not my type.” Julian boops Muriel's nose, making him twist his face, tempting him to just drop his drunk ass on the floor. “I—I thought you two were together! Didn’t you both confess your love to one another a few months ago after the b-.... _*hiccup*._... battle?!”

Muriel tenses and starts to panic, floundering for his words, “W-w-what?! N-No!!... I mean—yes— I mean...t-t-that’s none of your business—”

 _“Wait…..”_ Julian then gasps hard and clasps his hands over his cheeks, scrunching up his face. “—DID YOU TWO BREAK UP?!”

“HUH?!” Muriel blinks rapidly, very confused with Julain’s drunken train of thought. Asra just slaps his hand against his forehead. “What the hell are you—”

 _“—NOOOOOO!!_ You two are so cute together! Rhemi, the happy go luckily, spunky, f-f-fiery…. _*burp*_... L-little magician— and Muriel, the tall, shy, muscley, grumpy, yet gentle, hooded forest man! _*hiccup*_ It was so adorable to watch you two awkward messes!!!” Julian just starts to lose his shit and begins to drunkenly sob.

Muriel huffs and stops trying to talk to him, sneering and grumbling irritatedly at his drunkenness; he is clearly useless at the moment. Portia tugs lightly on Muriel’s cloak, he peers down at her, she has a wide smile. “Don’t worry, short stuff. Just found ‘er. She's right over there, snoozin’ away!” She points to a table towards the back. Rhemi is still holding a pint in her right hand, completely out cold, and snoring a little.

Muriel seems to relax as soon as he sees her and grin a little back to Portia. “Thanks… at least someone is useful tonight.”

He glares back up at her brother who is still dramatically sobbing on his shoulder. “ _—WHYYYY????_ TRUE LOVE IS DEAAAAAAD!!!!! _WAAAAAAHHH!!!!”_

Muriel then quickly pulls Julian out of the tavern, Asra follows as Portia keeps an eye on Rhemi. Muriel places him down on his wobbly feet next to Asra, then goes back in and collects Rhemi after telling the bartender to put everything on Julian’s tab.

All five met back outside. Rhemi is still sound asleep in Muriel’s arms, sweetly cuddling up to his bare chest. Asra giggles at the sight of them. “ _Wow!!_ She always has been a heavy sleeper, but—this is a bit much, don’t ya think??!” Muriel shyly grins back and shrugs. She’s a mess, but she’s his mess after all.

“Thanks for coming and saving the day, Muriel! You're the best!” Portia says cheerily standing next to Julian.

He flushes a little looking at a nearby building. “.... W-Whatever... I’m just here for Rhemi….”

Asra gives him a pointed look and Muriel huffs cheek flushing a bit more. “...but… you’re welcome… I guess.”

They both snicker at Muriel’s surliness as Julian continuously sings another sad sea shanty to himself not even realizing he’s out of the tavern. Still apparently torn up about the non-existing break up of Muriel and Rhemi. Asra smiles widely up at Muriel. “Take care of her will you, Muriel? Tuck her into bed!”

He nods then looks up and down at the tall lanky doctor. “...Sure you can handle him? You don’t need any more help?” Asra shoots him a smirk with an eyebrow raised and he averts his gaze once again. “—N-not that I care… just don’t want to be pulled out of my hut again tonight.”

Asra and Portia each grab one of Julian’s long arms, draping them over their shoulders. “Nah, were alright.”

Portia gives him a wink, “You just worry about that little cutie in your arms, Muriel!” He shudders a little, face and chest turning blood red. He looks down and tires to hide a smile. Rhemi is rather cute right now.

Portia and Asra drag Julian’s half limp body to his clinic and up to his little flat above it. It’s much like Rhemi’s little room above the shop. It has a bed and a small kitchenette with a stove, cupboard and sink, and even running water. “Ugh finally!” Portia huffs as they finally drop Julian to his bed. “Guess I am babysitting tonight.”

Asra looks to Julain’s pink intoxicated face, feeling a bit guilty, like perhaps he has something to do with this. “No. I’ll take care of him for now.”

 _“Really?!”_ She says a little too happily. Asra grins and stifles a laugh and she clears her throat, pink painted across her cheeks. “I-... I- mean… If you don’t mind… he’s a bit much sometimes.—Actually he’s much all the time.”

Asra snickers at that a little. “Yeah, it’s fine. Don’t let those two ruin your night—Alright, Portia?”

Portia gives him a wink, “Wasn’t planning on it~!” and skips her way out the door. “Night, Asra~!”

Asra then starts to take Julian’s boots, eyepatch, jacket, and gloves off, he's completely passed out now. Despite Asra feeling a bit annoyed at him, he can’t help but gaze at him foundly, unable to think how handsome his face is. Asra covers him with the sheets, and his eyes suddenly flutter open, he’s come down slightly off his stupor. Initially they are both startled. But once Julian realizes that it's him, he grabs his hands. “Asra~ you sweet thing… Did you...errr…..did you come take me back to your home?” He smirks trying his best to look dashing.

Asra looks at him blankly. “….This is your home, Ilya. You live here…these are _your_ things.” He says pointing to the shelves. “I don’t share a home with a thousand creepy leeches just staring at me from the wall.”

Julian sits up and looks all around him, looking a bit embarrassed. “...Oh… I.. _ahhh_.... I guess that’s…. that’s right..”

Asra walks over to his small kitchen and fills a cup full of water. “Now that you're awake, take a drink of water, will you?”

“I’m-I’m glad I got to see you, Asra. I, _uh,_ I didn’t think you’d be back in time.” Asra exhales deeply to himself as he feels something sharp tug at his stomach when he says that. Julian sits on the edge of the bed. Their hands meet as Asra gives him the glass of water. Julian just stares into his vibrant lavender eyes. “Have I ever told you how beautiful you are, Asra?”

Asra suddenly flushes a little bit, blinks, then quickly shrugs it off with a raised eyebrow. “Have I ever told _you_ that you're an annoying drunk?”

Julian smirks and lets out a flirtatious chuckle. “If I can recall…you.. _. uhh,_ yes. You most certainly have.”

Asra can help but laugh at him. The doctor can be charming, and he is a bit cute in his own way. “So, Rhemi took pity on you and took you out for a drink, huh? Are you trying to corrupt my sweet little apprentice?”

Julian guzzles down the water then pulls the cup away, almost spilling the little that was left. “I was looking for you this—this afternoon…. at the shop…. But you… _ahh.._.. you weren’t there… Before I left, Rem suddenly invited me to go out. So I, ah, of course said ‘yes’. Who am I to deny a free drink?”

Asra smiles mischievously. “You were looking for _me_?” He starts to snicker for some unknown reason. “What for, Ilya? You wanna whisk me away on some adventure—” He glances toward Julian’s direction catching his longing, but a very serious stare. Asra’s smile falls, the rest of his words die in his throat.

Julian looks so suddenly sincere. “I… _umm…_. I-I love it for you to come with me.” His large hands gently take hold of his. “...Won’t… won’t you accompany me on another adventure, my darling Asra?”

Asra flutters his eyes, looking at where they are touching, lost in thought.

 _An adventure?.... on the high seas?_ There is nothing more than he would want that to have another adventure. Traveling alone has its advantages, but weeks of having Julian by his side was… well... it was nice. But Julian is planning to go for a couple of months, a year at most. And last time Asra left on a boat… Rhemi… Muriel. They need me. He—he can’t abandon them both… not again…

Asra closes his eyes and exhales deeply, carefully pulling his hands away. “I’m sorry….. but….You…. you know I can’t, Ilya.” He slowly stands and starts to walk towards the door.

“...Because of your apprentice?” Julian mutters, making Asra stop walking. He turns around, the expression on his face answers for him. Julian snorts softly, nods his head to himself and grins at him. He looks surprisingly empathetic, despite the pain behind his gaze. He clears his throat shapely. “You know what?? That apprentice of yours… she may be a little hot tempered at times. But, _ah,_ s-she’s got a good head on her shoulders…… She’s smart, can be rather kind, and surprisingly wise.”

Asra darts his eyes to the floor, turning his back once again, trying his best to shake off what he said. “Yep… good night, Ilya.”

“H-Hey!”Julian throws the covers off his feet. “W-Wait!!! I'm—I’m not done yet!! I’ve been meaning to ask you something for awhile now.”

Asra whips himself back around now getting annoyed. “It’s getting late. Can’t it wait till later?”

Julain’s cheeks start to blanch a bit darker red. “Well—T-that's exactly what I mean. By then… it will be too late… and I’ll lose the nerve again.”

Asra huffs irritatedly. He doesn’t want to talk to a drunk man anymore. “I can’t deal with you right now, Ilya. I’m tired. I’m hungry. I literally just got into town and I had to immediately get poor Muriel to come and pull your dumb ass off of the ciel—”

“—You loved her, didn’t you?” Julain interjects, cutting Asra off mid-word and his eyes widen.

“....W-...What…?”

##  _**To be continued…** _


	2. Sparks Fly~

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Asra revels his feelings towards Rhemi and Muriel being together... along his feelings about Julian.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [WARNING: M/M SMUT, NSFW, 18+. Please, don’t be silly trash pandas.]

_**Sparks Fly; Part 2~** _

The little room above the clinic is very quiet as Asra and Julian just stare at each other for what feels like an entire minute. Asra’s eyes widen feeling his cheeks heat up slightly. Julian exchanges a knowing look and a shrug rolls off his shoulders with a small blech that he covers quickly with the back of his hand. “.... Can’t blame you, she’s wonderful—She's like… _ahhh_ , a little ray of sunshine on a cloudy day….. Her very presents just brightens a room. That’s why you...errr…. you brought her back to life, right?” Asra drops his gaze to the floor.

Asra has never actually admitted it to anyone else before. But it’s true. Slowly he moves and sits at the edge of the bed next to Julian, elbows resting on his thighs. “...She... She never felt the same.” He quietly confesses. “...Or… at least she said she didn’t before she died… we kinda…. make-out a few times. But that was it… it never went further than that.” He draws in a deep breath thinking hard, then sheepishly scratches the back of his head as he finishes his thought. “....I mean…. She said that she loved me… But… not in _that_ way.”

Julain scoots a little closer to Asra on the side of bed. “...Why didn’t you tell her how you felt after you brought her back?”

Asra sharply exhales through his nostrils, and tilts his head back. “I… I actually did. A few times even… But she would get these awful migraines. Telling her would just…. hurt her… So I had to erase her memory every time to make them go away. Once, I had a breakdown at Muriel’s hut because she became cationic and I thought I lost her…. It frightened me so much. I just kept hoping that the next time would be different… but it never was…”

Sluggishly, Julian rests his head in Asra’s scapula, making him stiffen at first. Asra could tell, he was genuinely empathetic towards him. “...D-... Does it hurt seeing them together?” Julian asks, sniffing Asra’s shirt, making him feel tingly. “ _Aahhhh_ …..You smell really nice…” He mutters under his breath.

Asra can’t help but lean back into Julian’s body, resting his head on his. Speaking about all of this out loud is so difficult somehow, but he feels like it needs to be said. “....No… and yes?...You can still love someone and just want them to be happy. Even if they aren’t with you.” He paused for a moment, realizing himself. “Sorry—You… You don’t want to hear me talk about this, Ilya.” He tries to pull away for a moment suddenly feeling so embarrassed for some reason.

Julian’s long arm wraps around Asra’s waist very tenderly. “No, no, no! Please… _stay_. I...I wanna listen… I want to know how you feel, Asra… _please…_.”

Asra finally relaxes once again, then clasps his hands together, pondering hard as he eyes the floor. These emotions swirling inside are so complicated, not so easily put into words. But despite himself, the corner of his mouth curls up slightly. “...Muriel is one of my oldest friends. We only had each other for a long time. We looked after each other, depended on one another. He would do anything, and I mean anything for me… Rhemi is one of my best friends, her Aunt Athena took us both on as apprentices for years before her passing. They both took me in their home…. Over the years we became very close, I can tell Rem anything… when you're down, she always does her very best to pick you back up… make you smile again…. But I found that Muriel needs that ray of sunlight in his life more than I ever did…… When he’s with her, he just lights up—He’s still gloomy, but he's happy. It’s good to see it on him.... And….. And Rhemi is somehow even brighter around him. They really do bring out the best in each other. Seeing them together makes me more happy than it does make me sad…. I—I love them both equally… now that I think about it…. I don’t ever want to see them apart.” His grin falls once again. “... Its just.... I waited for almost seven years to finally tell her how I felt. And when she rejected me… well… part of me wanted her to love me….. after she came back….But I realized that wasn’t fair. It was not how I wanted it to happen… So over the years, I started to feel... _stuck…_ Like I found myself not wanting to move on. It’s been so long now, I… I don’t know if I even can now. I constantly worry about her.” Asra swallows hard before continuing, his heart sinks all of a sudden. “I…I think about how I got so many of my friends tangled up in the Arcana, just to bring her back…. I did so many bad things to people… to even the people I claimed to have loved…. to—to you, Ilya.—I-I don’t know if I deserve to be loved.”

Julian picks his head off of Arsa’s shoulder. “You know, you should really listen to Rhemi more. That girl sure does give pretty good advice. She said that I shouldn’t be afraid of needing someone…she says, ‘Everyone deserves to be loved.’” Julian exhales sharply, a determined look washing over his face. He slaps his knee, “And she’s right! Ya’ know what?! The hell with it! I’m gonna tell you exactly how I feel!”

Asra sighs, “Ilya… please don’t…”

“—You deserve to be loved, Asra. Someone who loves you back. Just like she told me, I...I deserve it too. No one deserves to be all alone forever..”

Asra snickers. “She said that to you?” That does sound like her. Julain nods a little, but Asra huffs shaking his head. “...You should really take her words with a grain of salt, Ilya. She’s become a hopeless romantic since she’s come back.”

Julian sheepishly rubs the back of his head. “...Well… She’s been helping me a lot lately. Helping me build up my self-esteem. I didn’t realize it was lacking so badly until recently.”

“ _Ha-ha_.…. Could have told you that one…” Asra mumbles to himself, then suddenly feels Julian's free hand as it cups his jawline. Slowly, he turns his head to face him and they look into each other’s eyes both feeling want behind them.

Julian finally opens his mouth, his body slightly trembling and skin beginning to feel a bit hot to the touch as he forces the words out. “Asra...I… I love you. I….. I have for a long time.”

Asra is breathless, his heart feels lighter. “Ju—Julian…” Ever since they had started spending time with each other again, he unexpectedly began feeling things for him too. Four years ago, he was merely using him physically at the time. Just something to distract him from all the wrong he was doing. He knew that using him was wrong too. But now, it’s different. There are real feelings. He doesn't want them, but they are there, deep down he’s afraid that he loves him back. Maybe they’ve always been there…. maybe he was just too numb back then to feel then.

Asra holds the tears in his eyes, pulling Julian’s hand from his face, turning his head away to avert his gaze. “...I…. _*sigh_ *.... You…. you deserve better than me, Ilya.” His body begins to suddenly shake like a leaf. It hurts so much. “I’m—I’m sorry.” He stands up and starts to walk away to the door and slowly turns the handle, opening it up a little. He tries to hide the shakiness in his voice. “I… I hope you have a pleasant voyage tomorrow—” Julian suddenly throws his arms around Asra’s chest and waist, hugging him tightly. Asra’s tears finally break free, they stream down his face and he shuts the door back with a soft clunk. Being in Julian’s arms feels so good. In his heart he wanted to be back into them. But this time, not just for mer sex. He wanted to be there for him too. But the guilt is too much. “I—Ilya… I just….. used you back then—in so many different ways… you… you even knew that…. Why on earth do you love _me_?”

“I—I did the same thing… We.... We both knew we wanted someone…. Wanted to feel the warmth of someone else’s skin.... To not be alone. I just discovered after a while that behind it all you have a beautiful soul too.”

Asra quickly turns around grabbing Julian’s forearms, spinning them both around pinning him against the door where he once was. “I don’t have a beautiful soul! I’m a terrible person, Ilya! I abandoned the person I loved to save my own skin and…. and she died!” Tears continue to roll down his cheekbones and a few salty drops fall to the floorboards and he gently shakes his head and chokes on his words a little. “....M-... My oldest friend was forced to murder people for years because he believed he was protecting me!!—I…. I would run away any time there’s trouble without thinking about anyone else except for myself—When Rhemi died, I made others get involved with the Arcana--I am selfish, Ilya!!”

With Julian’s upper arms still pinned to the door, he moves his long forearms to gently hold the magician's face in both hands, wiping away his tears and leaning his head down. “...Would a bad person be willing to give up everything he wants just so his two closest friends can be happy?” Asra slowly bats his eyes, and finds himself leaning into his hands. His mind and his heart battling inside him as the doctor inches himself ever closer. “Have you forgotten that you also gave up a lot too? You literally gave half your heart for her—and you knew her love wasn’t guaranteed. Yet you care more about your friend’s happiness than your own… That doesn’t sound selfish to me.” Julian leans into Asra’s face and both their lips brush up against each other. A split second before they could taste each other, Asra reluctantly pulls himself away. Julian draws himself back with a sharp exhale and drops his shoulders slightly, tears welling in his eyes, feeling a little foolish. “I… _ahhhh_ …. I’m sorry…” He mumbles under his breath and shakes his head a little. He clears his throat then speaks up a bit more. “....I—I, _ah_ …..I-I understand you don’t feel for me in the same way, Asra….. I….I just wanted you to know before I left in case… in case something happens…. and I don’t make it back—”

Asra nearly chokes on hard scoff, “That’s the damn problem, Julian—” Their gaze meets once again as words just flow from his mouth, unable to stop himself. “—I do care for you…” Julian’s eyes widen with utter shock, but his gaze becomes warm as Asra keeps ranting. “I don’t want to… B-....Because you should find someone else. Someone better for _you_ … Someone who isn’t stuck in this…. _limbo_ like I am—”

Filled with pure bittersweet joy, Julian pulls Asra's face to his and kisses him passionately. Asra tries to fight it initially, but he just can’t pull away, he’s yearned for him so badly he can’t help but kiss him back matching his passion. He wraps his arms around his waist and starts to feel his long back muscles through his linen shirt. Their tongues dance, lips smack, and hot moans are muffled behind them. Asra presses Julian harder into the door, feeling his shape and pecks. Both start to feel hot and aroused as they slightly start to grind against one another. When they part their mouths for air, they rest their foreheads together, gasping for air, both their faces flushed, staring deeply into each other's eyes. “I don’t want anyone else, Asra. I… I just want _you._ You deserve to be happy too.” Julian pulls Asra into his chest and hugs him tightly. “This might be the salty bitters talking… but… _ah.._...If you give me a chance, I want to show that you also deserve it… that we both just need to let ourselves… I dunno… be happy?... I think??…. Maybe all you need is a hand to get yourself out of this…. _‘limbo’_ as you call it.” He whispers so sweetly to him.

Asra closes his eyes lightly and rests his head against Julian’s collarbone, hugging him tightly back. “.... What if… what if this doesn’t work out?.... What if I hurt you again?” He says, muffling his words against his skin.

Julian pulls away to gaze into his lavender eye and gives him a hot longing look and a cute smirk, “Asra, _darling_ … You know I don’t mind a little bit of pain.” He shrugs.

Asra scoffs, cracking a half smile and snickers a little. “Ilya, I’m serious…. What if all we do is hurt each other? What if I never get out of this? That isn’t fair to you.”

Julian runs his fingers through Asra’s white hair and tilts his head a little staring at his beautiful lips. “....Isn’t it better than wondering for the rest of your life?…. What might have been? Instead of thinking what things could be?... You don’t have to know the outcome to take a chance. That defeats the point. _*Chuckle*_ You can think of it like another adventure. Not all of them are guaranteed success…But isn’t that half the fun?” Asra can’t help but stare deep into the doctor’s eyes as Julian also sheds a tear. “.... I just want you to trust yourself like I do.”

One last tear rolls down Asra’s face, as he lets go of Julian and takes a single step backwards. No longer able to hold himself back, he rips open the front of Julian’s long white linen shirt and throws it off his shoulders sending a shiver down both of their spines as he starts to undress him.

As their tongues dance in each other’s mouths, Asra walks them both backwards towards the bed. As the back of his legs hit the edge of it, he sets his ass onto the mattress and Julian drops to his knees and places his forearms to the tops of Asra’s thighs. He starts to breathe shallowly as he sees the large bulge in his pants. Before he reaches for the buttons, he glances up to meet his purple eyes to make sure that this is what he wants. Asra grabs his jawline and strokes Julian’s cheek, loving his expression right now and seductively utters. “I hate it when you look at me so cutely like that—It’s hard to resist you.”

Julian groans lustfully with the complement, melting into his touch and kisses his palm. Hasilty unfasten Asra’s pants, pulling them down along with his underwear, making his hard member springs out. Without a second thought he starts to lick it from the bottom of his shaft up to the very tip then back down again. Asra’s eyes roll back into his head and he cocks it back with a shivering hiss. He hasn’t been touched in so long… The sensation is incredible, yet almost overwhelming as Julian brings his cock fully into his mouth sucking and stroking on it as if his life depended on it. Asra’s hips start to move on their own and his right hand runs through Julian’s thick red hair and he pulls it slightly. “Fuck— _ahhhh...._. Ilya…” He whimpers. Julian just gives him a cute glance then starts to suck harder, caressing his inner thighs. Before he gets too close, Asra pulls Julian’s head away. “Stand up.” He orders; Ilya does what he asks, as he gets to his feet, Asra rips off his shirt and the vest even kicks off his shoes, now completely exposed to the doctor. His hands make quick work of his pants and before they drop to the floor, he starts to lick the very tip of Julian’s hard member, making it drip with pre-cum. The magician can’t help but think how delicious he tastes and how he loves to watch him squirm and moan as he delicately strokes the shaft while sucking on the tip. He then starts to kiss his pelvis, then his stomach, getting a back to his feet, working his kisses upwards to Ilya’s lips again.

Julian wraps his arms around the magican’s shoulders and he continues to jerk him off slowly, using his thumb to play with the tip, their kisses muffling the lewd notices behind their teeth. The part once again, and they breathe each other’s air for a moment and Asra turns them both around and he playfully pushes Julian to the bed. Asra moves his left knee onto the mattress next to him as wets his middle and ring fingers on his right hand, lubricating them as well as he can, then rubbing his lover’s asshole, lightly fingering him. “Mmmmm…..Shit, Asra….” Julian mumbles weakly feeling his cock twitch.

Julian’s groan ever growing louder, Asra can’t take it anymore, he wants to be inside of him. He pulls him closer, making him lift his long legs up in the air, lining up his cock to his tight ass. Carefully, he begins to enters Julian, makes him grunt and groan and he digs his nails into Asra’s low back and ass. As they wait for him to become adjusted, Julian starts to nibble and pepper his neck with kisses, making Asra wriggle and moan, loving the feeling of his teeth scraping on his flesh. Feeling that his entrance has finally relaxed, he starts to move very slowly and places a kiss on Ilya’s forehead and cheek. “...Ready?” He whispers in his ear.

Julian feels his lover’s back muscles and licks his lips and he licks back and followed by a passionate kiss. As they part, Julian drops the back of his head back to the bed, rubbing bare Asra’s chest. “Yes, darling~” He mutters, grinning and biting his bottom lip.

Asra nods a little then thrusts himself all the way into Julian and they both moan lewdly, feeling amazing. Soon they both start to move faster and faster and Julian starts to slowly stroke his hard dick, feeling the pressure building its almost unbearable. “....Fuck—Ilya. I’m gonna cum—”

Julian cocks his head back to the mattress, breathing incredibly shallowly, close to bursting himself. _“Naaah!—Ahhh~_ Yeah…… Yeah—cum for me…. Cum with me, Asra~”

Pulling out, the two of them cum together, dripping down Julian’s torso. Asra then slightly collapses on top of him. Breathless, he grabs Julian’s jawline pulling his parted lips towards his and he kisses his bottom lip as they both embrace on another laying on each other's side, facing one another on the bed.

The two now completely exhausted, Asra can feel Julian drifting back to sleep. “I love you, Asra…..” he mutters with his eyes closed. Asra can’t help but kiss his forehead lovingly before getting a clean towel to clean up the mess they now have made. As he lays back down on the bed, he is taken by surprise as Ilya grabs Asra’s right wrist and wraps himself into it. Yet, he doesn’t mind one bit and he snuggles up close to his back and presses a feather lite kiss to his deltoid and neck making him groggily wriggle in pleasure.

Feeling his eyes becoming too heavy to keep them open, Asra finally rests his head down the pillow and starts to fall fast asleep with the doctor tucked close by, not wanting to let him go feeling the hair on his chest under his fingertips. “...I think… I think I love you, too, Ilya….” He murmurs to himself feeling sleep take over.

_.... I don’t want to be on that endless dock anymore…_

##  _**To be continued….** _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **So I’m sorry if this was kinda boring, but keep in mind this is my first ever m/m smut and I am a vanilla writer. *shrugs* 
> 
> As always, thanks for reading my hot trash! 


	3. Ignite~

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Asra must figure out whether or not to join Julian on the high seas, but seek for Rhemi's advice. Unable to locate her, he seeks Muriel's advice instead....

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Technically no SMUT, but implied sexual content below, so 18+ just to be safe].

_**Ignite~** _

**_Part 3~_ **

As the dark night sky makes way for the morning light, Asra finds his naked self still snuggled up against the warm bare skin of Julian. Slowly opening his tired eyes, he can’t help but stare at him as continues to sleep peacefully beside him. The silly doctor laying on his stomach with his arms hugging his pillow as he very softly snores. Asra props up his head with his right arm while he slowly brushes his knuckles up the middle of his lover’s back towards his neck and grins. He then runs his fingers through Julain’s tangley red hair and scratches his scalp. He’s still out cold, yet he still melts into his touch, sleepily smiles, and moans slightly as he moves to lay on his side to face him and cuddles up a little closer. 

Usually, Ilya doesn’t sleep very well. Yet, there he is, sleeping away like a damn log—This time it’s Asra who could only get a few hours of restful shut eye. He thinks hard about what the doctor asked him last night, but he feels torn. He doesn’t want to let Julian go, doesn’t want to lose him, not like he lost Rhemi. But he doesn’t want to lose his two best friends either. It’s dawn, Rem should be up by now. He wants to talk about this with her, maybe understand why he feels like he needs to go.

Asra slips quietly out of the bed, gets dressed, and quickly jots down a note for Julian. Before he leaves he places a quick kiss on his cheek before making his way out the door, placing the note next to his pillow.

_Llya,_

_I'm sorry I left before you woke up._

_Please don’t worry, I do plan on coming back…_

_~~I have to do something~~ _

_~~I need to make sure that~~ _

_….I’ll have my answer once I return._

_-Asra Alnazar_

Asra gets to the shop, but once again he’s shocked to find it empty—Except for Faust that is. She happily slithers over to him and sticks her fork tongue in and out, tasting the air. “ _Squeeze?”_

He laughs. “No, Julain isn’t here. Sorry, Faust…. Where’s Rhemi?”

She wraps around his right wrist, somehow shrugging despite the lack of shoulders. “Not home.” 

He sighs, slumping his shoulders and feeling a bit sad. “Of course she isn’t…. She's probably at the market by now.” He passes by a mirror and inspects his neck, it feels rather sore this morning, he moves his scarf and sputters a little. “Holy shit, Ilya….” He’s covered in hickies and bite marks. He flushes a little thinking about last night, and can’t help but smile a little and snicker to himself. It was quick, but it was good. Really good. It wasn’t like sex they had before. It had more passion behind it. Finally, he realizes he is wasting precious time and shakes off his lewd thoughts and grabs his vest to cover the marks up further. Rhemi isn’t going to be back for a while if she is at the market and Julian might be gone by the time he finds her. He needs to figure out an answer before that if he does decide to join this sea voyage. “I guess that leaves Muriel then, Faust.”

_“Tall friend!!_ ” She hisses with such excitement.

He smiles as she snuggles up against his cheek and uses his first two fingers to pet her little head. “Yes. Our ‘tall friend’.” He has a bad feeling that Muriel isn’t going to like this. He doesn’t care for Julian very much… But all that matters to him is Asra’s happiness and safety in the end.

With haste, Asra makes his way to the forest all the way to Muriel’s hut. The sun is starting to rise over the horizon and the clock is ticking, pressuring him to feel more terribly anxious with each step. Finally, the hut is within sight, and he exhales a sigh of a little relief. He takes in a deep breath before trying the door—but it doesn’t budge. _What?? He’s usually up by this time too, but the door is locked and shut tightly... Hmmm….._

_—BANG BANG BANG!!_

He knocks firmly then waits for a response. But there is no answer. “Muriel...You home?” He calls out.

Nothing… He tries the door again, but it won’t budge. “Your door is locked….” He waits for an answer for a moment, still just silence. “Muriel?....” He sighs feeling defeated, throwing back his neck, looking into the trees, muttering. “...Huh… First no Rhemi, now no Muriel?” He starts to turn about to head back into town, feeling more confused. Maybe I should ask the cards….He thinks again for a moment. Then again, I feel like I have had enough talking to them after all this shit from a few months ago…

“—Ye-yeah!.. I’m here—Hold on—.” Asra shudders a little as he hears Muriel’s almost flustered sounding voice suddenly answering back to him from inside the hut. Muriel hasity spills out the door shirtless, and quickly shuts it behind him, strangely not offering Asra inside.

Asra smiles, feeling a bit relieved to see one of his friends this morning. “Oh, Morning….” He suddenly notices that he is very flushed and has beads of sweat dripping down this morning. “..Muriel?....You ok?—You're, uh, rather sweaty this morning...Did you have a bad dream or something?”

Muriel wipes his brow, then scratches the back of his head averting his gaze. “No-...N-not…. exactly..” He then clears his throat sharply. Asra isn’t too concerned though, he normally easily flustered anyways. “What... _uh._. What's wrong?”

Asra exhales long, feeling so conflicted with everything. He just wants to have a cup of tea and relax to think about this dilemma. “Can...Can we go inside, sit, and talk?”

“—NO!” Muriel suddenly snaps putting himself in front of the door. Asra jumps a bit, surprised at his sudden outburst. The tall hermit then coughs a little and straightens back up. “..uh… redecorating… It looks like shit in there.”

Asra raises an eyebrow and just stares at him blankly. Redecorating?? Muriel??... Unsure what to do with that answer. “Oh…Umm... ok.. then?” Well… He’s obviously hiding something. But I don’t have time or energy to pry today. He decides to just go with it pressing his back against the brick wall of the hut, then slides down, and takes a seat, looking at the dirt beneath him. “...Out here is fine, I guess.”

The red in Muriel’s face dissipates as he gazes at Asra with growing concern. He knows something upsetting him. “...something wrong?” He asks while taking a seat down next to him back also against the hut.

Asra sighs deeply again, feeling so confused. “Yes…. no?...I—I don’t know..” Muriel gives him a pointed look and Asra scoffs. “..Ok.. so something kinda happened last night…”

Muriel’s shoulders relax a little and he listens intently. “Bad…?”

Asra looks into the sky, grasping for words. Explaining this to Rhemi is one thing, but explaining to Muriel is a totally different route. “No… not bad per say. —Let’s just say something… happened ….between …me …and ….” He covers his mouth with his fist and coughs fakely. “..Julian.” He quietly mutters and his cheeks start to darken into a crimson red.

_“Uhhhhhhhhhhh…..”_ Muriel groans with a sneer, now looking rather uncomfortable, knowing that look on his friend’s face. 

Asra runs his fingers through his white hair and snorts. “I I-I know—I know!—I’m sorry Muriel. You’re not the person to talk to about this. —But Rhemi isn’t at the shop this morning, and I really just need to talk to someone.”

Muriel sneers, folds his arms tightly and looks towards a nearby tree.“....Luckyme...” he grumbles under his breath with a scowl.

Asra can’t help but chuckle at his friend’s reaction, he knew exactly what face he was going to make. “I wouldn't have come to you if it wasn’t somewhat urgent, Muri. I...I need to make a decision here in a few hours…. I-I might be leaving for awhile—.” Muriel's eye meets back with his, looking a little conflicted himself. “—It would only be a few months…I’d promise I’ll be back…but..”

Muriel scratches his brow and exhales deeply. “...But?” He doesn’t sound excited about this at all. Asra knows how he feels about Julian. He didn’t like him leaving during the plague either.

Asra plucks a piece of grass and fidgets with it in his fingers. “...But… If I do leave… What are you going to do?—What is Rhemi going to do? I’ve never left that long before. I feel like I can’t just up and abandon everything like that.” The thought about the night he left her a few years ago suddenly creeps in his mind. He was out of town and some bastard she met at a bar tried to force himself on her after walking her home. Luckily Muriel was there… but it never would have happened if he hadn’t left. “What if she’ll need me?” He remembers Muriel and Rhemi’s sad faces every time he said he was leaving and how it would break his heart. “..If I go will she hate me? And you?... Will _you_ hate me?”

Muriel turns his trunk towards Asra, fumbling for his words. “Asra… I’ll be fine. Rh—Rhemi will be fine... You... you should do what you want.”

Asra can’t help but smile a little. His friend has changed so much. Before all of this, He would have walked away once he mentioned Julian. But he stayed, listened, even giving him word of encouragement. He reaches up and pats his hand on Muriel’s strong shoulder. “Thanks, Muriel…” Still, he’s not very certain. Rhemi learned to be a good liar again after a while. One day he left and she didn’t seem to mind much at all. But he called her through the water later that night and found her crying by herself. It was so heartbreaking, and that was only for a few weeks. This would be months, maybe a year. The last time he was on the docks was the red plague. She was so furious with him, she didn’t come to say goodbye. The thought of not telling her farewell again is too much, he can’t bear it. He continues reluctantly, thinking he’s come to a decision… one he really didn’t like… and it didn’t feel right either. “...But I… I just don’t feel convinced.”. He stands up and takes a few steps before turning back around to look at Muriel. “..I just—I feel like I can’t abandon you two like that. If I did go, I probably wouldn’t get a chance to tell her in person. And you know how she is… She won’t say, but she wouldn’t take that well.” He starts to walk down the forest path. Feeling like he is being shattered into three different pieces. “Maybe this is all not met to be… Hey...Forget I said anything, Muriel. It was just a spare moment kind of thing anyway. I’m sorry to drop in and wake you up so early.”

“Wait, Asra—.” Muriel scrambles to his feet, hand reaching out for him, looking rather empathetic, he knows this really isn’t what he wanted.

Asra waves at him with a fake grin. “It—it’s ok, Muriel... _I’ll—_ ” He shakes his head catching himself. “...I mean, _It_ will be ok—“

_——SLAMMM !!_

“—ASRA, I THINK YOU AND JULIAN BELONG TOGETHER!!”

What the hell?! Asra nearly jumps out of his skin as he spins himself around, Rhemi is standing at the door frame of the hut with such determination on her face. Asra flutters his eyes in disbelief. Muriel’s entire face and chest are painted blood red as she just stands there completely shocked looking herself. She very apologetic peers back over to him, and Muriel sighs deeply then scratches the back of his head bashfully, glancing quickly at Asra, then to the ground as if he's dirty little secret has been found out.

Completely confused, Asra tilts his head, staring at her. _So, that’s what he was hiding? What’s the big deal?? She sleeps over here all the time. Why was she hiding from me?_ “Rh—Rhemi? What are you….doing….here?” Asra’s eyes dart from Rhemi’s red face, to her disheveled hair, to Muriel who is looking like he feels absolutely guilty right now. _What's going on? Why is she wrapped up in a blanket like that...Where is her...shirt—OOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHH—WAIT A MINUTE~_

Asra notices Muriel’s neck, peppered with scratch marks and hickeys. He feels his eyes widening as he slowly connects the dots. A very large, mischievous smile takes over his face, and he places his hands over his hips. “Ooh-hoo~!.” _THEY FINALLY DID IT!! My two awkward little lambs finally did the dirty deed!!!!!_

The both of them start adorably floundering, drowning on the spot for an explanation for themselves. Both faces burning, nothing actually verbally comes out.

Asra's eyes open wide as he folds his arms, resting his chin on his knuckles, smirking uncontrollably. He can’t resist teasing them. This shit is just pure freakin’ gold. “Was I… _uh…_. _interrupting.._.something here?”

“—NOOOO!!” Rhemi and Muriel spit out simultaneously, both of their faces blood red and hot.

Laugher finally escapes Asra’s lips. “Well... that explains why you weren't at the shop this morning, Rhemi!”

Rhemi just adorablly buries herself into the blanket she’s wrapped up in as he continues snickering to himself, loving these two reactions.“... and here I thought you were up early shopping at the market!”

“Sh-Shut up, Asra….” Muriel scowls, grabbing poor little Rhemi’s hand, and they sweetly look to the ground looking so embarrassed.

Asra continues to laugh at Muriel’s sheepish face, he can’t help but feel so happy for them. “AWWW! I’m proud of you, Buddy!” 

“A—ASRA!” Muriel shudders bashfully. Muriel never talked about their personal relationship like that, but Rhemi did ask him for advice for wooing the hermit. Asra could tell by the tension they both carried that sex just wasn’t happening. But today that tension has finally melted away and the air felt peaceful.

Asra throws his head back and starts to lose himself in his laughter, but winces from the bite marks. They sting when he jerks like that. Suddenly he feels Rhemi’s red piercing gaze coming from underneath the blanket. He notices her squinting at him suspiciously and feels a beam of sweat form on his temples, his laughter comes to a slow stop as she shuffles over to him, blanket still covering her shoulders tightly as she just beams up at him. Her eyes dart to his hand that is still covering his neck and his face starts to become noticeably hotter and flushed. “...Whatcha hiding, Asra?” Her eyebrow lifts up.

Asra just stares back at her holding his breath. She’s like a bloodhound, hot on the trial. She suddenly smacks his wrist, and he pulls it away from his neck, shaking it. Hey, that hurt! “Ouch! —GAAH!” Tugging his scarf down, she exposes all of Julian’s handiwork from last night. Slowly she flutters her eyelashes and a devious grin washes over her face. Asra nervously smiles back at her, “ _Ahhhhhh_ ….I can— can explain...” and chuckles making him look more apparently defensive as he quickly covers the bites up with his hand again.

She folds her arms tightly and gives him the most judgmental stare he has ever seen. “So...‘Something happened last night’? _Huh_?”

He panics and blurts out the first lie he can think of. “It… it was Faust.—”

Asra feels Faust scurrying frantically in his bag. Feeling insulted, she sticks her head out of his bag and quickly wraps herself around his wrist, violently flicking her fork tongue. _“—LIES!”_ She defensively hisses.

Rhemi now sputters into loud cackling laughter as Asra, smiles, cheeks flushed, now the one feeling embarrassed. “I knew you guys had some kind of chemistry!” She looks so delighted at the news. Her smile falls as a thought comes across her mind. “What a minute—You said the boat leaves in a few hours!” She grabs his shoulders, shaking him a little with excitement, he grinces as she holds the sore part. “—You’ve got to pack!....I need to go to the market—get you supplies! Shit— we don’t have time to dally...No time!!” She releases her tight grasp, rushes over to the door of the hut, throwing it open. She looks over her shoulder, glancing between Muriel and Asra for a moment as they both blankly stare at her confused. She sticks out her bottom lip like she does when she is frustrated, huffs and flicks her wrist to Asra. “Well! Get the hell out of here! You need to get going!” She nearly closes the door, all the way, then sticks her arm out, pointing straight at Asra. “..And don’t even think about leaving without saying goodbye!” _CLUNK!!_ She shuts the door forcefully.

Asra's chest suddenly feels so much lighter and his lips curl into the biggest and happiest smile. He didn’t realize this…. but he really needed to hear Rhemi say those words. She seems so happy and excited for him too. He walks back up to Muriel who is just staring at the door, a silly love stricken smile spreads across his lips. He looks so happy. She looks happy too. Asra laughs as he places his hand on his arm. “...She’s a handful, Muriel, you think you can handle her?”

Muriel’s face is still hot and red, he scratches his right cheek grinning at an apparent dirty thought. “Yeah she _is_ …” Asra’s mouth nearly drops to the floor by Muriel’s commnet. I guess Muriel enjoyed it himself! They finally exchanged glances, making Muriel choke on his words, “Wait!— I didn’t—I meant— _OOFF!”_

Asra wraps his arms around Muriel’s waist tightly, taking him off guard and cutting him off from his rant. He feels so relieved. He doesn’t have to worry about them nearly as much. He had almost forgotten that they have one another now. They won’t be alone. “I know you’ll take good care of her, Muriel.... And she’ll… she’ll take good care of you, too.” Asra’s voice starts to shake as tears well in his eyes. “I’m… I’m so, so glad you both have each other.” He feels proud of both of them. They have come such a long way together.

Begrudgingly, Muriel returns the embrace, but relaxes immediately. “Just come back… ok?” He mutters quietly.

“I will, Muriel…. I promise.”

Asra finally lets go of his friend and turns to start sprinting back into town, tears still running down, but this a smile across his mouth. This. This feels right.

Quickly Asra makes it back to the shop and collects all the things he needs for the voyage and makes it back to Julian's clinic with his arms full. As he opens the door he sees the doctor sitting at this deck apparently patiently waiting for him. Immediately he stands to his feet as he watches him enter and they stare at one another. Julian then sees the bags and a wide smile blooms across his face and tears in his left eye. In three steps with his long legs, he nearly skips over and throws his arms around Asra and picks him up in excitement. The magician can’t help but tear up with him and presses his parted lips against his and they share a passionate kiss for a few blissful moments.

——————

On the docks, they say their goodbyes with Rhemi, Muriel, Portia, and Nadia. Julian even tries to hug Muriel with excitement, but he shoots him down with a killer look and he backs down. But after a cute pout from his lover, he asks to make sure that he brings back his friend in one piece, which he quickly agreed he would.

As they both board the ship, they hold each other’s hands.

Despite feeling so incredibly terrified, Asra is actually joyful and optimistic too. This is something new and exciting, and this time he feels like the future looks bright and clear. No more clouded uncertainty like he did before. I think I am off of that dock...

As the ship starts to take off to the high seas, Asra follows Julian as he climbs into the shrouds and he watches feeling a hard sense of déjà vu. Before he gets too high, he reaches his hand out to the magician. “Care to join me?” He asks with a cute smirk.

Asra stares at the doctor's hand, then glances back into his left eye. He looks just like he did in his dream. But this time he doesn’t dare hesitate. Asra gives him his hand and is pulled up into the shrouds with him. They both climb to the top of the mainsail, feeling the salty ocean breeze and watching as Vesuvia gets further and further away.

Julian then leans into Asra closer and softly closes his eyes for a kiss. As they lock Asra cups the doctor’s jawline with his right, enjoying the taste of his lips. As they part for air, their noses brush up against each other and they both grin stupidly.

_Thank you Rhemi…. Thank you for letting me go…. Because.... Because I think I don’t know what to do without this idiot reaching out for me._

##  **_The end~_ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I know this was a little different, I just hope you guys enjoyed it. This was a challenge for me because I am a female, and I write my smut based on sensation and feelings. But it was rather fun writing this little thing! 
> 
> The next short story will be about the beach! Wooooooh~ 
> 
> As always, Thanks for reading my hot trash!!! 

**Author's Note:**

> Told you guy’s Momma was coming back!!! 
> 
> Part 2 will come soon (just have to clean things up *wink wink*)
> 
> Thanks for ready my hot trash!!!


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